Somber Echoes is a beautiful metroidvania experience that blends sci-fi elements with Greek mythology. As you uncover the secrets of this dark and terrifying world, you’ll be unlocking new abilities and fighting different types of enemies. With each new platforming puzzle comes a new area to discover, and the game can feel quite intimidating to those who haven’t experienced a metroidvania before.
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As Adrestia, you’ll be tasked with embarking on a mission that prevents universal destruction. To do so, you’ll have to mix and match different combos, mechanics, and platforming abilities. A few tips and tricks can help.
Master Parrying, Deflecting, And Blocking
When it comes to combat, Somber Echoes doesn’t hold back. It asks you to face enemies of varying types, and you’ll have to adjust your combat techniques accordingly. There are three primary ways of dealing with enemies: parrying, deflecting, and blocking their attacks. Each one has different animations and purposes.
When you’re holding down your block button, you can prevent damage for a short time. But, this doesn’t work for more than a few seconds. Ideally, try to always parry an attack by pressing the block button shortly after an enemy tries to hit you. When you do the same for long-range attacks coming your way, you’ll successfully deflect an attack. This way, an enemy’s attack hurts them instead of you.
Study Enemy Movements
Every creature you cross paths with in the game will have a certain way of doing things. There’s a pattern to their movement and attacks, and you should study these in hopes of surviving an encounter. To do so, try dodging attacks until you completely understand an enemy’s behavior. Blocking and parrying work too.
After about ten seconds or so, the enemy will start repeating a pattern. This is a moveset that requires you to fight a certain way. Fast enemies usually charge up before attacking you. Slow enemies land heavy attacks but give you some breathing space between their attacks. Bosses work similarly but can change their movements based on the phase they are in.
Since death results in a respawn nearby, try to find a resting site before engaging in a fight against a tough opponent.
Use Aether To Your Advantage
Ather is a fantastic mechanic that turns you into a small ball of light/energy and lets you maneuver through tough spaces. The first trick to master is using Aether to stop yourself in midair and focus on the direction you move in. The more you practice this, the better you’ll move through platforms. Especially when certain terrains (like fire/lava) can hurt you.
Next, use Aether during combat. The game doesn’t give you this hint, but it’s something you’ll discover as you fight bosses. You see, each enemy has a certain moveset that gives you some time to think about your next attack. Use this time to trigger your Aether and move behind them. Then, attack them! This flanking technique can win you a lot of battles, especially with bosses who are a bit slow in their timing.
Navigate The World Properly
Atromitos is filled with endless secrets to uncover. This includes NPCs, survivors who have been in hiding, and chests (among other objects) that contain valuable resources. This is when you’ll need to remember that Somber Echoes’ world is best explored in multiple directions. Even if the main objective asks you to move in a single direction, it’s something you should avoid.
The game has a lot more verticality to it than you’d expect. Any direction you pick—up, down, left, right—has something to offer. There are even portals to be discovered that will take you to an entirely fresh region! To avoid monotony in your exploration, keep opening the map to check how you’ve been navigating a region.
As you explore, you’ll come across objects and doors that can be broken. You can move through them with Aether, or other attacks. Stomping around the floor works too, in some cases.
Platform Effectively
On the surface, platforming in the game may seem like a simple formula. However, unlike many other metroidvanias, movement in Somber Echoes features a lot more momentum. Each level offers a layer of complexity as to how you use ledges, acrobatic movements, Aether, and more. As you move through different biomes, you’ll need to keep your mobility in check. For instance, there’s no need to use Aether if a wall has enough ledges for you to climb through.
Similarly, small, glowy gaps are present in certain ceilings that can be activated by pressing the same button that triggers your Aether ability. These will immediately teleport you to another side of the same map. Once you get the hang of little details like these, you’ll be able to unlock new doors and pathways that let you explore better—essentially letting you experience new things within the same region.
Upgrades And Weapon Combinations
During the early hours of the game, you’ll likely be using your blade (Gladius) for the most part. Once you unlock the Legionary Spear, you’ll have a form of ranged attack that can be used against enemies in different ways. Combining these two along with your movement abilities is the best way to go about it, and there are certain tricks you can master. For instance, before heading into a melee combat situation, try throwing your spear towards the enemy.
In doing so, you’ll gain a slight advantage. Keeping that in mind, every resting site will grant you the option to upgrade your weapons, armor, and zapping skills. Ideally, you want to start by improving your base damage (Gladius), and then the Nyx Shield. After that, continue to scale up your Legionary Spear and Zap skill. The resources to upgrade these are often challenging to come by, and thus, it’s recommended that you explore every region before proceeding with the main quests.
Make sure you collect your spear after throwing it. Otherwise, it’ll stay stuck in something (or someone), leaving you a bit vulnerable.
Heal Proficiently
In Somber Echoes, you heal through two major ways. First, by collecting little blue crystal shards that can be acquired from the environments you discover or broken off a non-hostile creature. Second, you can heal every time you collect little blue orbs that come out of enemies as you damage them. The second method is what will keep you alive during intense fights, and something you should not ignore.
A great strategy to keep in mind is to let environmental sources of healing stay untouched until you truly need them. For instance, if you see a moving creature with blue crystals moving around, let it be. Come back when you truly need some healing.
During certain fights, you’ll notice a lot of smaller enemies in the area. Keep eliminating those to get little buffs of healing as you tackle the larger threat.
Explore The World Through Lore
Lore is a big part of the experience, but not just for storytelling purposes! The more NPCs you find and talk to, the better you’re acquainted with Atromitos’ many complexities. As you explore a region, there’s a huge chance that you will come across an NPC. They will tell you about what to expect next, and key items you can find in the world.
Read carefully what they have to tell you, as there’s something hidden between those lines. An area to explore? Some loot to encounter? Or perhaps a pathway is hidden in another biome? The game has multiple endings, so your decision-making regarding these interactions will lead to alternate pathways for the narrative.
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